Do you know about airborne disease and virus prevention?
A virus can be spread from person to person through close contact such as handshakes or hugs, or via droplets from an infected person such as through coughing or touching surface areas. Viruses can also be spread through the air; this are called aerosol transmission.
When a disease is caught simply by breathing it is called an airborne disease.
With the upheaval of Covid-19, many have already heard of these terms. Although to clarify, there are “aerosol droplets” and “respiratory droplets”. Aerosol disease droplets are so small that they overcome gravity, allowing them to suspend in the air for longer periods of time, or evaporate before reaching the floor. Aerosol droplets cause airborne transmissions.
Respiratory droplets are produced by exhalation; essentially air moving over fluid, such as breathing, talking, coughing and sneezing. Large respiratory droplets usually fall to the floor or another surface before drying. But the small ones fall slower and dry quicker, becoming aerosolised particles.
While both aerosol and respiratory droplets can be infections, the consensus is that respiratory are more infectious.
The most common airborne diseases are Common cold viruses (e.g. rhinovirus), Influenza, Measles, Mumps, Tuberculosis (TB), Chickenpox, Diphtheria and of course Covid-19.
Not all viruses are airborne. Although some are more infectious through aerosolised transmission than others. Measles for example, is highly infectious through aerosol transmission. The European Centre for infectious diseases states that measles can live for several hours in the air and remain infectious for up to 2 hours on a surface after an infected person has coughed or sneezed in the area.
Flu virus particles can travel at least six feet in the air. Recent studies have shown that these particles can still be infectious enough to make you ill if you inhale them.
So how do you maintain prevent virus prevention? By using a combination of discipline, cleaning measures and an understanding of how spreads can happen. After all crowded conditions, poor hygiene and a lack of understanding can increase the risk of airborne diseases.
Here are some ways that you can keep airborne viruses under control.
Ventilation
Without ventilation, aerosols remain suspended in the air and can become increasingly concentrated as time goes on. Therefore adequate ventilation can help blow aerosols away.
Face Masks
Face masks are effective when worn by all, not just the infected, but also uninfected people to prevent the spread of a virus. Face masks stop droplets from sneezing and coughing; going beyond the person responsible for them.
Social Distancing
While not always possible in an office space, school or hospital areas, social distancing can help prevent infection from spreading as it eliminates contact between people and their immediate surrounding areas.
High priority Cleaning
Since Covid-19, the levels of cleaning standards have increased dramatically. To keep a spread like this from happening again, it is vital to keep up high standards of cleaning. Being sure to clean all surfaces and touch points often; to ensure the removal of droplets and lingering germs.
Hand Washing
The awareness of hand hygiene has also increased in recent years. Along with touch free soap dispensers and instructional posters, it has become easier for everyone to maintain high levels of hand hygiene.
Hand Sanitising
Along with hand washing, sanitising is also vital to help prevent the spread of viruses. Not only does it kill most common germs, it also acts as a quick option to hand washing when entering a business or traveling around.
Air purification
Air purifiers can neutralise up to 99.99% of microbes such as bacteria, spores and mould. They can significantly help reduce airborne transmissions. Air purifiers are seen by many as an invaluable addition for health and safety.
